Press
Trusts & Estates
"Lifetime Versus Testamentary Giving"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D, CFA
Self-made people are often conflicted about philanthropy. Many of them work very hard for their wealth and, to a certain extent, measure their self-worth by the size of their pile.
If a client's goal is to not only build his pile but also be philanthropic, it can seem like a contradiction. And to some extent, it is. But, for the advisor, there's also plenty of room for effective planning.
Journal of Financial Service Professionals
"Completing Charitable Remainder Trust Reviews"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D, CFA
The SEC requires public companies to File extensive reports every three months. Auto makers recommend changing your oil every 5,000 miles. Arid the annual physical has been a part of life for a century. Now, many advisors are finding that the annual review idea also applies to charitable remainder trusts (CRTs).
May, 24 2011
WealthCounsel
"Charitable Planning - a Business Development Tool"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D, CFA
You know that many clients and potential clients do not have optimal estate plans in place. Indeed, in the recent climate, the very concept of optimal estate planning has become muddled... However, most clients and potential clients also lack optimal charitable planning. This lack of optimal charitable planning creates an opportunity for planners to use charitable planning as a business development tool.
January, 26 2011
Trusts & Estates
"Alternatives to CRT Terminations"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D, CFA
In a recent Trusts & Estates column (November 2010), my colleague Laura Peebles correctly observed that many donors with existing charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) may be well-advised to consider terminating those trusts... However, termination of the trust and division of the assets isn’t the only course available to a donor looking to exit a CRT. There are two other viable alternatives: contribution or sale. Both deserve a closer look.
December, 22 2010
Planning Partners Press
"Power to Sell CRT Annuity Adds Flexibility"
by Eckert Byrne LLC
Charitable Remainder Trusts are powerful tools for estate, tax, and financial planning. The potential sale of the income interest in a CRT adds more power and flexibility to planning... Financial advisors, attorneys and CPAs who have clients who have CRTs should take a look at whether the sale of the income interest makes sense.
August, 19 2010
Wealth Strategies Journal
"Selling a CRT Interest"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D., CFA and Evan D. Unzelman
An advisor recently approached us with a dilemma. His client, we'll call him John, set up a charitable remainder trust ("CRT") several years prior. Since then, John's circumstances had changed and he found himself in a situation where immediate liquidity was much more valuable than his CRT income interest (i.e., receiving annual payments for the rest of his life).
Read more here.
Trusts & Estates
"Selling CRT Lead Interests"
by Roger D. Silk, Ph.D, CFA and James W. Lintott, Esq.
Over the last 20 years, investors have been increasingly demanding liquidity in nearly every aspect of their financial lives. Real estate investment trusts that trade daily, like stocks, have replaced limited partnerships as the preferred choice; mutual funds offer daily liquidity; retirement funds are accessible through loans or early withdrawals; most living trusts are revocable or changeable. Even hedge funds rarely require more than a relatively short commitment. Yet charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) have so far resisted the trend toward greater liquidity.
Read more here.